Researchers find glaciers in the region have shrunk by 15% in the last 50 years.

A major study of Everest and the national park that surrounds it concluded the area has been warming since the early 1960s, and researchers say it is warming at an alarming rate. Many small glaciers have disappeared.

The researchers say Everest itself was 'shedding its frozen cloak.'

Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain. It has become a mecca for climbers, and has two main climbing routes.

With the glaciers melting, they are revealing rocks and debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated.

Why is it happening? Well, the team believes it's from human-generated greenhouse gases altering global climate. But a true connection, however, has not been confirmed.

The team says the Everest region has undergone a 1.08 degrees Fahrenheit increase in temperature and a decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon and winter months since 1992.

This could affect the future water availability since the Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a water source for Asia. Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water for agriculture, drinking and power production.